Are North East People Not Indians?

Not to sound too braggy but it’s people like us who call people from north east ‘chinki’. Everyone quite very easily goes about politicising equality, holding protests and facebook-ing about it. But the very next day, guys call that ‘chinki girl hot’ in the college canteen.

Welcome to India. Where we love to hate people from the north east corner of the country.

Moral answers kept aside and practicality considered from what observations have been made, I would strongly disagree with the point that Indians consider north eastern people as fellow Indians.

Their number one argument in this favour? “Oh they don’t even look like us. They are extremely fair and have those Chinese features”. Well, that does not go down well through MY throat, at least.

They are treated as guests in their own country, they are fearful if at all or not their girls will be returning back unharmed, they are facing eyeballs flashing all over them as they even step out, their daughters are tagged as sluts and whores, they are the ones who face name-calling every day. What all other atrocities these people face are not known to us North and South Indians.

After ALL of these things, if nothing else is left in these peoples’ minds to harass them, they call them ‘firangis’, the lingo for non-Indians. Yes, they do. They don’t consider these north eastern people as a part of their legacy. Even after what our Sanskrit culture and rich history teaches us about, ‘Vasudheva Kutumbhakam’, that the world is a big family.

We aren’t considering the people of our nation as our own, forget about the world.

Two years ago came the electronic commercial of ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ with veteran actor Amitabh Bachhan as its face. The topic was the same as this is. A young north eastern girl asks him over a question, even though Assam Manipur is on India’s map, why are Manipuri people not treated as Indians? The advertisement received a lot of shares and applauds and pats on the backs but the spirit died out the same time.

Apparently, we are more interested in showing the world how forward we are and how bad we want to bring change about; but aren’t willing to do anything more than press the ‘share’ button.

Okay, to put it more subtly. Most people, who are against the idea of seeing north easterns as non-Indians don’t say this out loud. They play the ‘being diplomatic card’, you see. They don’t get off of their chair and just say, “oh I don’t like you!” It’s these people only who name-call or go on ranting about the north easterns. But why? Well, one reason being state above; the second being, the openness of these people being mistook for slutty behaviour.

Visit the streets of Kamla Nagar some day standing by the side of the gol gappe waale bhaiya watching the fake Punjabi aunties with their Gucci’s and Prada’s watching these college-going north eastern girls with the corner of their eye like they are whores asking for it in the open. Why? Oh because they were a bunch of north eastern college going girls being comfortable in their skin. People mistake this for the fact that these girls are asking for it and are westernising the nation more than what is required and that they are uncultured.

I know, right? Outrageous? Extremely, yes!

The scenarios become even worse when it comes to men. Finding accommodation in even metropolitan cities like Delhi, Mumbai, B’lore is a task tedious enough for bachelor north-eastern men as they are looked down upon by the landlords. Apparently, the thought-process behind this is that single north-eastern men are scoundrels who eye their daughters and sisters immorally and are a threat to the women of their neighbourhood.

What we don’t understand is that it is these people who are the victims of torture. Real victims of mistreatment. Apart from mistreatment, they also face a loss of opportunities. It is a very unfortunate case when it comes to opportunities for these people. Be it in terms of academics, employment, industrial sector, or lodging; these people seem to be standing at the losing end here. Especially the industrial sector.

Look at it this way. You will not find many north-easterners employed in the mainstream sectors. Why? Because no one takes them seriously or gives them the one chance they deserve to shine.

What we don’t realise is that with these little things like giving them a chance to be equally educated as the rest of us, to get an equal chance of employment; we could ensure that these people have a regular and a better life, just like any of us!

We’ve all heard of Mary Kom from the eastern part of the nation. She has been noted a lot of times in her statements and interviews that people from north east getting opportunity, especially in sports is a rare occasion.

Alas! Discrimination against these people seems to creep from all places in. Is this justified, really?

This is all nothing, but like a really sorry state of affairs, not for some particular part of the nation, but for the whole country, as a matter of fact. Why have we been shying away from accepting these people as one of our own? Just why? Because of our physical indifferences?

I would say reason to legitimate enough, and that people giving a hard time to these folks should be ashamed on their upbringing as an Indian!

Because this is not what India is!